FAQ

Journalists don't talk to agencies – they talk to people. What counts is the story, its relevance and the credibility of the person telling it.

You get the experience of a senior consultant trained over many years at international agencies such as Scholz & Friends – without hierarchies, overhead or a rotating cast of account managers. From the first conversation to the media work itself, you work directly with me.

I work with start-ups, scale-ups, mid-sized companies and international technology leaders. Company size matters far less than the communications challenge: my work is particularly suited to companies opening up new markets, explaining complex technologies or building trust in innovation.

That includes companies in artificial intelligence, cyber security, enterprise software, LegalTech, ClimateTech, FinTech, AdTech, HRTech, PropTech, HealthTech, BioTech, mobility, IoT and blockchain – as well as other technology-driven markets.

Technology companies often aren't selling a familiar solution – they're selling a new way of thinking. If you create a market, you first have to explain it. Good communications therefore builds not only visibility for a company, but frequently an understanding of an entire category.

I have seen this again and again over the past two decades – from the first mobile apps through programmatic advertising and blockchain to agentic AI. Only once journalists can make sense of a development does coverage of the companies driving it become possible.

The best moment to start is usually earlier than most people think. Not necessarily to announce products, but to build expertise, perspective and trust.

Product launches, funding rounds and market entries create attention – but reputation is built long before that. Companies that only start communicating when they have something to sell often leave the interpretation of their market to others.

The instruments of successful technology communications are largely the same everywhere. What matters is using them at the right moment and in the right combination.

They include classic media relations, executive positioning for founders and leadership teams, thought leadership, bylined articles and expert contributions, LinkedIn communications, conferences, panels and speaking engagements, as well as the development of clear corporate messaging.

Which measures make sense always depends on your communications goals, the stage your company is in and the situation in your market.

Not necessarily – but it is often a decisive advantage. Innovation is created by people, and stories are told about people. Founders and company leaders are therefore usually the most credible ambassadors a company has. At the same time, many technology experts are not natural communicators.

Many of the founders I work with were rarely in the public eye at the start of our collaboration, or didn't feel comfortable there. That is exactly where I help: making complex topics understandable, making expertise visible and developing an authentic public voice. Executive positioning isn't about turning you into someone else – it's about letting your own personality work in public.

I prepare founders carefully for interviews, background briefings, podcasts, panels, conferences and other public appearances. That includes briefings on individual journalists, working through likely questions together, developing clear key messages and, where useful, media training.

I have always worked as a one-person enterprise. Artificial intelligence makes that model more capable than ever. I don't use AI to replace myself, but to speed up research, analysis and routine tasks. At the same time, I follow the effects of generative AI on communications, public relations and corporate visibility closely.

That leaves more time for the things that cannot be automated: strategic advice, good stories and personal relationships with clients and journalists.

AI systems such as ChatGPT or Perplexity draw on publicly available, credible sources – editorial coverage above all. Building reputation over time and appearing regularly in relevant media therefore also improves visibility in AI-generated answers.

What is currently discussed as Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) is, in my view, largely the result of good communications work. I don't treat GEO as a separate product, but as an increasingly measurable side effect of strong technology communications. Solid media relations, thought leadership and trustworthy content now pay into classic search engines and generative AI systems alike.

Because good communications consultancy doesn't end between two meetings, I generally work on a retainer basis. I think about my clients' communications goals continuously – not only in meetings or during active media work, but whenever new opportunities, developments or stories emerge.

Most mandates sit in the mid four-figure range per month, depending on scope, objectives and intensity. You aren't investing in hours, but in continuous communications work. The retainer is calculated so that I can focus fully on your mandate without having to bill every single task separately.

I also deliberately work without rigid annual contracts. Good communications takes time. Trust, reputation and thought leadership don't appear overnight – they build continuously. A collaboration should exist because both sides trust each other and see the value every month, not because of a contract clause.

My mandates can therefore be cancelled monthly. My goal is a long-term partnership – not because a contract enforces it, but because both sides are convinced every month that it was the right decision.

Public relations is primarily local and language-bound. My core market is the German-speaking countries. Beyond that, I work regularly with pan-European, English-language technology and business media.

For international communications projects I draw on an established network of independent senior consultants who know their markets as well as I know the German-speaking one. I help international companies – from the US, the UK, Scandinavia and other European markets – build and run their communications for the DACH region. Conversely, I support German-speaking companies together with my partners in other European markets.

Responsibility for your mandate always stays with me – and so does your personal point of contact.

Every collaboration starts with an informal conversation, long before any proposal or contract.

For technology communications to work, direct exchange with founders or company leadership is essential to me. Only someone who understands strategy, product and vision first-hand can convey them credibly. Day to day, I of course also work closely with marketing and communications teams or executive assistants – depending on how your company is organised.

Once we decide to work together, new clients first receive a tailored questionnaire. It forms the basis for an in-depth communications workshop in which we develop goals, audiences, messages, ways of working and strategy together.

In the first 30 days we lay the foundations: communications strategy, key messages, executive positioning, press kit, imagery and the identification of the relevant media and journalists. First results appear immediately – initially internally, in the form of a clear strategic basis.

After roughly 60 days, active communications work is running. First media conversations, bylined articles, LinkedIn activity, podcasts and conference or speaking requests are often already visible – depending on topic, news cycle and timing.

After around 90 days it is usually possible to judge which topics resonate, which messages land and where the communications can be sharpened further. At the same time, public visibility grows steadily through media coverage, thought leadership and executive positioning.

Communications, though, is not a sprint. Trust, reputation and visibility develop over time. That is why I work deliberately for the long term and take on only a limited number of mandates at once – so that continuity, personal availability and strategic advice are always guaranteed.